If there is one important message for Manchester United to take from the past week (and a bit), it is that patience is key. A humiliating derby day defeat acted as a harsh reality check of just how far this team still has to go, and comeback wins over Omonia and Everton further showcased the work that needs to be done before they can win those types of games by comfortable margins.
Patience was also a key component during the 2-1 win at Goodison Park on Sunday night, as goals from Antony and Cristiano Ronaldo secured a vital three points to give their league campaign a lift.
United had to show calmness and composure to gradually work their way back into the match and subdue a frantic home crowd, resisting the temptation of going gung-ho in a desperate attempt to level things after Alex Iwobi's early opener.
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The reward was a deserved win, a ringing endorsement of the style of play Ten Hag is trying to implement and justification for their more methodical approach, which is focused on taking the time to make the right pass rather than moving the ball on just for the sake of it.
United's two goals came thanks to direct and decisive passing play, this time getting straight to the matter with clinical forward passes that carved open the opposition defence.
Just as impressive, though, was the build-up play later in the game, as United proved they can also create chances from patience and carefully breaking down their opponents to create space that wasn't initially there.
In the space of 40 second-half seconds, United collected the ball in their own half before probing the Everton defence with a 17-pass move that saw them patiently wait for gaps to appear before picking up the pace and producing a clear opportunity at goal.
The move began with Marcus Rashford collecting the ball inside his own half before playing a quickfire double one-two with Ronaldo behind the halfway line. The England forward then cut play back to Christian Eriksen, who quickly sprayed the ball out wide to Bruno Fernandes on the touchline.
The Portuguese moved play forward down the left flank, dragging the Everton defence with him, before he cut back inside and played the ball to Eriksen. The Dane then immediately returned the ball where it had come from, this time to Rashford, who dropped deep to collect possession.
Everton's defence was all over the place but gradually fell back into shape. United sensed the momentum had just gone, and sensibly played the ball back to Luke Shaw near the halfway line in order to go again.
This time, Shaw and Eriksen played the quickfire one-two, Fernandes ran inside off the ball, and Rashford was left with space to collect a pass on the left flank.
United turned up the tempo. Rashford raced forward, poked a pass forward to Fernandes, who played it straight back to the unmarked Eriksen in a deeper position.
Everton were stretched even further as the Denmark international sprayed a perfect pass to Antony on the opposite flank, dragging the opposition defence from right to left, leaving huge pockets of space in behind.
Antony cut the ball back to Casemiro, who whipped in a beautiful first-time cross, but Ronaldo rose too late and headed over the bar from a few yards out.
In years gone by, United might well have run out of ideas in such a situation and would have panicked when Everton regrouped midway through the move.
Under Ten Hag, the approach is different, and although there is still plenty of work to be done in regards to their approach play, it is clear to see their growing confidence as well as an ability to adapt on the fly to the wider situation around them.
Without going full Gary Barlow, it comes down to having a little patience again. United are showing signs of promise, but they need time to develop. Highs must be tempered with the recent lows, and little mistakes along the way must be allowed as part of the wider learning process.
United are still a long way off the level they want to be at, but they are certainly getting a tiny bit closer.
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